The Last Stand
by Seadragon
Summary: James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Potter had a plan. A very critical plan. A plan that took three years of planning to perfect. A plan involving extreme sacrifice. A plan full of dangers. A plan that would change the..[in]
1. Let It Begin

**Title:** The Last Stand

**Author:** Seadragon

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Drama

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary: **James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Potter had a plan. A very critical plan. A plan that took three years of planning to perfect. A plan involving extreme sacrifice. A plan full of dangers. A plan that would change the way the war was fought. Forever…

~

_Four there once were_

_One by one they fell_

_And now,_

_Four there are once again_

_The last chance for salvation_

_If they fall, so shall we all._

**_Moony._****_ Wormtail. Padfoot. Prongs._**

_The last line of defense_

_"It is the choices we make who shape us for who we really are."___

~

**The Last Stand**

_Seadragon_

**Chapter One: _Let it Begin****_**

~

**James Potter**

James Potter snuck onto the Hogwarts grounds, via invisibility cloak. This was it. He tiptoed across the dark grounds. It was almost midnight, and as black as pitch. It seemed fitting that it was a starless night, the moon also extinguished, in the earliest phases of a new moon. Years ago, about 17 in fact, they had spent nights pouring over moon charts, planning around the full moons, playing them, using them to their advantage. It was silent as well, and that James appreciated with the same intensity he felt for the darkness. Before, and probably now as well, darkness and silence meant fear, pain and suffering were well on their way, but tonight, nothing would go wrong. Nothing would fall apart, leaving them vulnerable. But the silence. It wasn't unnatural. Some how it just fit, it slid into place with everything else. There were no noises inside the castle, but he hadn't expected any.

He looked the same. Different, yes, but the same. His skinned was tanned, but his eyes, hair, and glasses were all the same. He was glad to be free at long last. For too long he had hidden behind the body of another, too long had he had to spell his hair blond and his eyes green, he had even had to shrink a few inches, and change the shape of his face! It was nice to be himself, in his own body again. As he neared the castle he felt the unmistakable twinge of his magic. He had marked two things with it, and they were both here. One, he needed to reclaim as soon as possible. The other had become a target. He knew the others would also recognize the power that was so clearly his. He _longed for the feel of its fizzing, yet clear strength to fill his veins again. But even more so, he longed for __them._

James couldn't wait to see them again. Would they be different? He knew some of them would have needed a disguise, the same as him, even if it wasn't a total change like his. A total change was hard to shoulder. Especially when you had to through the rest of your life out the window along with it. Including the overwhelming power he had once hated, even feared. Now he just felt empty without it.

Somehow it always came down to that, didn't it? Now he just hated what that represented. That he _needed the power to be himself. It was a scary thought. Especially since he hadn't been himself for fifteen years. Ever since he put aside everything, to save everything. Strange how that worked, but somehow it did. He didn't expect anyone outside their circle to understand the __sacrifice they had all made. And sacrifice it was. But it was helping to secure a future with those cast aside. A future for their entire world. He had a lot resting on his shoulders._

He approached the castle cautiously. It was all over if someone discovered him. But why would they? He was invisible, and it was midnight! Everyone would be completely tired out from the feast earlier, and asleep.

James sighed. Then scolded himself silently. _'Quiet!' he thought desperately, __'last thing I need right now is to be heard!' But he wouldn't be, and on some subconscious level he knew that, which was what had allowed him to make any noise in the first place. There wasn't a soul who could catch him now, this was his element. Yet, before he knew it, he was at the foot of the steps to the door into the castle he had once called home. His feet rested comfortably on the healthy grass footing the entrance to the greatest school of magic in the world. This was familiar to him, unlike so much that had surrounded him for a decade and a half. He took a deep breath and kept going._

_'Left, right, left, right. Yes, that's it.'_ He thought, understandably nervous. This was the first step to what they all wanted to see. _The end of this war. He held out his left hand to open the large wooden doors and stared at the wedding band on his finger. It was gold, and surprisingly shiny. He had polished it regularly over the past fifteen years. He was terrified; no point in denying it, his hand was shaking furiously. And he had been an expert at controlling his emotions and nerves in the past twenty years, for many reasons. With a lot of willpower, he made his hand grasp the door handle, and pulled the door open very slowly. The wooden door swung open easily. He had always wondered why the doors that led directly to the next generation were wood, it seemed so, __vulnerable. But now he took it to mean that they did not fear those who entered this place, seeking bloodshed, that they had no reason to, and never would. Something had changed in him in the last fifteen years. His outlook on the world._

"Creak…"

James winced. Trust Filch not to oil the hinges every once and a while. Once every, say, _fifteen years_ would be nice. He stepped over the threshold and continued on to their predetermined meeting place. It had been chosen even as the very begins of this plan had been born. There was no safer place than Hogwarts, and it would serve well. It always had. Add the fact that the man they would need to speak to most would be there, easily accessible, and it was the perfect location.

After countless near misses, without his full magic, he became perceptibly less graceful, James reached the designated place. It was tucked into a corner of Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry that few entered. Mainly because it was just so far away from _everything_. This suited their cause all too well. They had chosen it using the Marauders Map just after determining that Hogwarts would be the place. Soon after, Peter had gone in and planted the Marauders Map for Filch to find. They needed it to fall into Harry's hands, and so, what better place than Filch's office? Someone would be sure to swipe it, and from there, it would make its way into Harry's possession, and it would be right on time. But now, it wasn't quite midnight, so he had a moments rest before moving into place, but very soon, it would begin…

**Sirius Black**

Sirius Black pounded across the grounds as a big black dog. The creature bore a striking resemblance to a Grim, and had been mistaken for such on many occasions. This, of course, only aided their cause, not hindered it. He was one of the only ones who could do this, because dogs were very common roaming the castle and its grounds. It wasn't long before he was at the door, huge black paws resting on it.

A blink of an eye and a full grown man stood in the dog's place. In some ways he no longer resembled the man he had once been, but a shell. Not an empty shell, mind, just, only a layer of who he had been. Never mind it being planned, Azkaban wasn't a pleasant experience no matter _what caused you to be there. It had made him thin, and scared. Both physically and mentally. But slowly, the mental scars were beginning to fade, most likely from the knowledge that his suffrage would soon be appreciated. It was the physical scars that burdened him still. His hand rested on the handle, unknowingly in the exact place his best friend's had been minutes before. Now for the hard part._

Finding the spot would be no trouble for any of them, as they had spent seven years roaming the castle, and all surrounding land, and at night none the less. The one worry was people. It was essential that they stayed out of sight. Though, he doubted anyone would be even partially conscious after the feast. Even any resident pranksters wouldn't be up now. Besides, it was pure suicide if you didn't have an invisibility cloak. And the only student in the school he could think of who had one was Harry Potter, and he wasn't a trouble maker. That cloak that he had, the one he thought was his father's, James Potter's, was, in fact, not. James had his own invisibility cloak, they had given his spare to his son. James would need his own after all, there was no place left during this war that wasn't safer when you were hidden from the searching eyes of anyone, and everyone.

Sirius opened the door and looked back and forth before slipping inside. It was dark, naturally, but he could see well enough. After all, it did no good for them, as they were practically nocturnal, to not be able to see in the dark, so, naturally, they had all charmed their eyes to see just as well in the dark as the light, if not better. James didn't need his glasses at all, he just wore them for the sake of habit, a strange habit, but it really wasn't James without the round, black rimmed glasses. They had used that spell when they were barely half way into second year. It was Remus's careful research that had discovered it for them.

Come to think of it, there were many things Remus's research had made possible. Not even Dumbledore knew the extent of the things they were capable of, _had been capable of even then.  They were all animagus of course, except for Remus, for fear of what would happen when mixed with his lycanthropy. They had all learned to Apparate illegally in Third Year. They had a base at the bottom of the lake, and could all breath underwater. And this was just grazing the surface. Dimly, Sirius wondered if the Triwizard contestants had encountered their underwater refuge, but realized they would have spoken up about it if they had, and that they had placed various wards and concealment spells on it, just in case any ever did feel the need to inspect the floor of the lake._

He bounded quietly up the stairs, looking around as he went. It had been almost exactly fifteen years since he had really been here, and things had changed. Of course it had changed, he himself was living proof that everything, no matter how well preserved, must change to survive. For instance, he didn't remember ever seeing a painting of the four of them hanging in the castle. Sirius realized what he saw and whipped his head back around and stared at the painting for a minute. A last legacy of something broken. Or so they thought. He found himself wondering what they would be like. After all, the castle showed that _everything_ changed in fifteen years.

Sirius had one problem. He didn't have an invisibility cloak, or even know an invisibility spell. They were tricky to work properly and only Lily and James had really mastered them, Lily being the resident expert. They had all promised to go into this invisible, and only appear at midnight. Sirius glanced at his watch, a damn useful thing if he did say so himself, despite the fact that it was a muggle device, and he had had to magic it so that it wouldn't stop dead once within a mile of Hogwarts. Only five minutes left now. It seemed like an eternity after fifteen _years apart._

One thing he could do, to make himself seem invisible, was use a camouflage spell. He knew the others would use all sorts of things, things he wasn't capable of, so to speak. James, for instance, would use his beloved cloak. Lily would use some sort of difficult invisibility charm, charms being her specialty. Remus would use his temporary invisibility spell, a shoddy thing that wore off after barely ten minutes, but it did its purpose well enough. Peter though, he wasn't sure what Peter would utilize. Probably something he would have been forced to pick up after 15 years of reluctant service to the Dark Lord.

He cast the spell quickly and stepped around the corner. He blended perfectly, just like always, the spell had yet to fail him. Three minutes to go. Inexplicably, he began to shake. Something truly good was going to happen soon. All of them would be reunited. At last. It had been much to long for his liking, and he would have preferred they had never been split. But, he knew, that if they hadn't put this plan in action, at least one of them would be dead by now, just to _prove_ that even the best will break. It was getting closer and closer by the second, and soon it would begin again.

**Lily Potter**

Lily Potter wasn't sure how she felt about this. She was scared, of course. But also filled with excitement and joy that was immeasurable. She would be seeing her friends again. Maybe even her son. But most of all, she would be seeing James. She had sacrificed it all for this plan, and if it failed now, she would be left with nothing, her life would be as empty as it had been for fifteen long years. But soon she would have everything again. _If_ they didn't fail, if they hadn't failed already. But she couldn't allow herself to think such things. Soon, she would see everything that really mattered anymore. Unknown to her though, she had trekked through a muddy part of the grass…

It was thrilling. Absolutely thrilling. She had waited so long. Too long almost. There had been times when she had wanted to lose her disguise, for they had had to hide, and search him out. Only the memory of what had happened, and was happening, kept her going. That, that and the plan. The plan was to save them all. Everyone. And now they had completed the hardest part of the plan, at least so far. They had been separated for fifteen years, and the next couple minutes would show if it had all been worth it or not. Lily hadn't allowed herself to have doubts, because that would have lead to her not being able to stand the suspense and throwing the plan away. And she couldn't do that. So she had remained oblivious for the past decade and a half, waiting, biding her time, until the moment they had decided, together, as a whole, seventeen years ago.

Lily had used an invisibility spell to sneak onto the Hogwarts grounds. She knew the others would have some elaborate way in, but that was of no concern to her. They were the Marauders, none other, no one knew everything about them, or even a lot, herself being the one exception to the latter. Often she wondered how they did it. She, of course, was the only one of them who would use an invisibility spell though, the others had had varying levels of failure with it. The next best at it being James, but even he, for all his amazing powers, had some difficulties with the spell. Quite often she wondered why, but didn't let it bother her, he didn't have any real need for it, like she did, and therefore he wouldn't be _pressed to learn it, like she had._

But now was not this time to be concerned with that. It was time to put the next phase of the plan into action. Sometimes it was hard to remember everything. Fifteen years had passed since she had lifted a wand, and old memories don't die as hard as they say. She could remember _them_ of course, nothing could ever make her forget them. It would tear her apart if she couldn't recognize them. They would have changed of course, she herself was proof of that. Some days she didn't recognize herself when she looked in a mirror, but how could she? She had looked completely different. Besides, she knew them better than she knew herself, despite her limited knowledge about them, and what they could do.

Lily was comforted, if only slightly, by being back in her own body. She had changed her entire body shape, made her eyes blue and her hair black with a long lasting spell fifteen years ago. And today, she had finally been able to cancel it. It had been the first thing she had done, as soon as she had apparated to just outside Hogwarts, in Hogsmeade. Just to reassure herself, she ran one hand through her red curls and smiled. She was _herself_ again.

She opened the door with hesitation, almost afraid to see what might be on the other side. Lily took a deep breath, and stepped inside. There was nothing to startle her, nothing unfamiliar within the comforting presence of the walls. Slowly, she made her way to the meeting place, preparing herself for anything. Not knowing that she left a trail of muddy footsteps…

She knew they all would have changed, but didn't want to accept it. This was hard enough. Someone on the outside could never understand their plan. They had all made huge sacrifices, but only because they knew it would all be worth it in the end. There would be doubt, but they could handle that. The only problem was she hadn't had any contact from the magical world in fifteen years, and had no idea what was going on…

**Remus Lupin**

Remus Lupin, who, unlike his friends, was not an animagus, did not have an invisibility cloak, but he did have the passage ways they had discovered/created. Right now he was sneaking through one such tunnel, ready for tomorrow to begin. It was tomorrow in many ways. He could stop pretending his best friends were dead or had gone over to the other side. He could stop lying to himself, and the rest of the world. It had been hard. There had been days when he just wanted to shout out that Voldemort could _never_ have killed Lily and James Potter, that Sirius Black would _never betray his friends, no more than Peter would. He wanted to scream for all the world to hear that __it wasn't over._

It had been fifteen years. That was too long. No matter what anyone said, that was too long. But he was almost there. He was running through one of the many tunnels they had used almost constantly instead of the corridors. But the happy times in which they had roamed the castle were long over, replaced by loneliness and fear, the same emotions that struck the rest of the wizarding world since the announcement of Voldemort's return. True, he hadn't struck hard yet, but muggles and wizards alike were being picked off in dark alleys. People were afraid to leave the safety of their homes after nightfall, and didn't know who was a Death Eater and who wasn't. Luckily, Azkaban still stood, but for how much longer… No one knew.

Fear was apart of life now, for all of them. Yes, they were momentarily safe, but how long would it last? He couldn't pretend much longer. _'Through the tunnel, up the stairs, and to the right._ Up more stairs, and voila!'_ Remus ran through the castle and into the beginning again. It was like going home. To a home he hadn't had for fifteen years. He had had to lie low, not draw attention to himself. All part of the plan._

He had had to pretend so much it was hard to remember what the truth was. All he knew was that they were all living a lie. And tonight, tonight they would finally be free of that lie, the lie that had had its hold on them for fifteen long years. A lie that had been in total and utter control of them since its birth seventeen years ago. They had done this for the good of the world, after all, who knew when Voldemort would come up with an Apocalypse plan. It wasn't a choice they had had, if they had stayed and waited it out, at least one of them, if not more, would be dead. Just to prove that they weren't invincible. This thought raced through his mind, what he didn't know was that one of his fellows had thought the exact same thing, at almost the same time.

Remus had reached the end of the tunnel without realizing it. He stepped cautiously through the trick wall and looked around. He didn't have far to go from here, now if he could just make it without making too much noise.

"Crash!"

So much for that plan. He had run straight into a suit of armor in his haste. It probably hadn't helped that he hadn't been looking where he was going. Remus started jogging, the sooner he got out of sight of the armor, the better, Filch and his damn cat were still hanging around. He would rather not be caught unawares by that cat again. She was unnatural, at times he felt she could see right through him. She hadn't been around in their days, she must have adopted Filch sometime later.

Then he was confronted by another dilemma. How to be invisible, he wasn't any good at the invisibility spells, not like Lily anyway. He could manage for a short while, but after that, it just wasn't worth the effort. He did know a short term invisibility spell, but it wasn't good for over ten minutes. But luckily, he only needed three…

**Peter Pettigrew**

Peter was nervous. Frightened even. If Voldemort discovered what had been going on, he was a very dead rat. And a rat was what he was right then. He had changed into his animagus form as to sneak into the castle. He wasn't very good with invisibility charms. Him and Sirius had had the most trouble with them, for many reasons. He would never have managed to keep one together for longer than two minutes, and that would do him no good. He would need to work on those some time in the future, if not for himself, but for the benefit of others.

But back to the fear. Voldemort couldn't find out until he, Peter, had been reunited with his friends. But soon, very soon, he would get to renounce the Dark Lord forever. He would be able to stand up and say 'look at me, I'm a free man.' He would be able to actively aid his side, with out fear of wrecking the plan. Sometimes he wished the plan had never been put into action. Working for Voldemort was terrifying. You never knew when he would turn around and curse you.

But unlike many witches and wizards, Peter Pettigrew had never been afraid to say Voldemort's name, none of them had. None of them _were_, he corrected himself. Unwillingly, he himself had begun to believe the lies they all had told. How could he not, he had had them forced on him every day for the last fifteen years. After that amount of time, you began to believe even the most arcane of theories. He had brought himself to believe that the end could be any day now, that Voldemort could launch some sort of attack, so large that he would have to aid the other Death Eaters, and kill innocents. Something he had managed to avoid since the plan had been put into action, for fear of what the consequences could be once he freed himself of such dangers. But despite the fact that he had been working with the most feared creature in all of time, he felt the most sorry for Lily and James. They had had to go into hiding, change the way they looked, and the way they lived everyday.

At least he knew. At least he would know if something unexpected had happened, something they hadn't thought of or come across after over three years of careful consideration. They had no idea what was happening in the wizarding world, and with Voldemort. They had no way of knowing if the plan was succeeding, or even if everyone was still alive.

He knew it must be a horrible feeling. Even though he had had to be worried about being cursed everyday for the past fifteen years, he hadn't had to forget that his friends could be dead or dying, or leave behind a son. He couldn't imagine how traumatizing that would be. They had left their son, making him believe that they were dead, and that he would have to vanquish the Dark Lord. It must have been horrible. They had even been forced to leave him with Lily's sister and her husband, who, they knew, without a doubt, would terrorize the poor child.

Actually, he didn't know what was going to be done about Harry. He really wasn't anyone special. Lily and James had made him what he was. They had temporarily imprinted some of their magic, mostly James's, on him so he would survive the plan.

As soon as the fifteen year enchantment was broken, the magic would be removed from him, and returned to its rightful owners, and James would get his wand back. See, the brother wand to Voldemort's was actually James's, just another something bestowed to Harry to keep him alive, James had marked it, and left it at Ollivander's, where it would lie waiting, collecting dust, until Harry came along. Once they were back, he would just be a bargaining tool for Voldemort.

But Peter knew, even though Lily and James loved their son, they wouldn't sacrifice Voldemort's defeat for his life. They would let him die before giving in. They would do everything in their power to save him, except surrender. They would never surrender, no matter who was at risk. It was the truth. The horrible truth, but the truth none the less.

Peter had someway made his way around the castle and almost to the meeting place. Now he needed to hide. He changed back to his human self and thought. He didn't know any invisibility spells, or camouflaging spells, or an invisibility claock. He was wearing a Death Eater's robe, because that was all that he had. Peter wasn't sure _what_ he was going to do, but he had forgotten about the short lived invisibility enchantment on all the cloaks. He activated it, and waited.

**The Beginning**

The clock struck midnight. 

_Twelve. Eleven. Ten. _

They waited. 

_Eight. Seven. Six._

They were ready. 

Really.

_Four. Three. Two._

This was it.

_One._

Five people threw off whatever was concealing them, whether it be spell or cloak, at the exact same time. The final stroke of midnight. And they were all thinking the same thing.

Let it begin…

**To Be Continued…**

~

_Four friends who had everything_

_And then they were left with nothing_

_Four brothers who were inseparable_

_And then they were miles apart_

_One bond that was unbreakable_

_And then they were broken._

~


	2. The Future Starts Now

**Title:** The Last Stand

**Author:** Seadragon

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Drama

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary: **James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Potter had a plan. A very critical plan. A plan that took three years of planning to perfect. A plan involving extreme sacrifice. A plan full of dangers. A plan that would change the way the war was fought. Forever…

~

_Four there once were_

_One by one they fell_

_And now,_

_Four there are once again_

_The last chance for salvation_

_If they fall, so shall we all._

**_Moony. Wormtail. Padfoot. Prongs._**

_The last line of defense_

_"It is the choices we make who shape us for who we really are."___

~

**The Last Stand**

_Seadragon_

**Chapter Two: _The Future Starts Now…****_**

~

As spell and cloak alike were dropped, insignificant now, the five people who had emerged from beneath them had to bite back their loud and joyous greetings. And tears. Definitely tears. It was vital that they weren't discovered now. Instead, they all formed a group hug. They had to convince themselves that this was indeed real. But slowly, all but two backed away, with respect for the bond between those left.

Sirius Black and James Potter.

They had survived more than anyone could imagine together. They had sacrificed everything to save the world together, more than once. It wasn't the sort of thing that could be faked. In just their sixth year, when James and Lily had been trapped in the forest, with no hope, Sirius had risked life and limb to find them. And James had done much in return. Over the years, since they had first met when they were just children, they had saved each other's lives. From both physical and mental harm. It was a bond that could not be broken, and the others respected that. Even Lily, who had once been jealous beyond belief of what the two of them shared. She too had learned over time, that this wasn't to be taken lightly. There are no words to describe it.

Slowly, the two moved apart, and James went to Lily.

"Too long Lily. Is it really you?" He whispered holding a hand up to her face, his voice only audible to her. Her only response was a bone-breaking embrace. She buried her face in his shirt, which was rapidly getting soaked with tears. They stayed that way for many minutes, just holding each other for comfort, much like many times before, and many times to come. These were the things that never changed, no matter how much time past, or what happened in the world around you. The world could fall to the ground at their feet, and still what the five of them shared would stand against the destruction of everything.

After they had been reassured that it was indeed who they had hoped, they greeted the others, who had been standing back a ways, smiling. Too much bad had happened. It was hard to believe that it could change, that they could have another chance. But first they had to know exactly where the stood. And before that, James needed his power back. It was a matter of life or death.

Finally, someone said the inevitable.

"I think it's time we found Dumbledore." James said quietly. They all exchanged nervous glances. Planning it was one thing, going about it, well, that was a different story altogether. Include the fact that they had not planned this small part, except that one of them would go, in disguise, to meet with him, while the others followed closely, invisible. They hadn't decided _who would wear the disguise, or how they would meet with Dumbledore._

"Who?" Peter asked, his voice still had the slight tremor that it had had when he was in Voldemort's service. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he cringed, expecting the sharp, burning pain of Cruciatus. After sixteen dreadful years under the Dark Lord, he had learned that offering an opinion, or speaking out of place, earned you pain. Harsh, dreadful _pain_. Only Lily seemed to notice, as the other three were looking at each other, unsure. She gave him a sympathetic look and he smiled. It was a strained smile, but a smile nonetheless, one of the first genuine smiles he had offered in years.

"Not James." Was all Sirius had to say. They could understand that, James had been disguised for fifteen years, and still wasn't wholly his self. Of the five of them, only Lily, Remus, and Peter were levelheaded enough to pull of a stunt like this now, and Peter was still shaken from his encounters with Voldemort over a long-term basis. Lily had only just been able to shed her disguise, and wasn't completely willing to adopt it again, but she would if she had too. As four minds worked this all out, their eyes slowly turned to Remus.

"Fine. I'll do it."

**Remus Lupin**

"Good man, Moony." Sirius smiled at him. Slowly, as all of them were unwilling to hide again, cloaks and spells were set. This time, Lily cast an invisibility charm on Sirius for him, because a camouflage spell would never fool Dumbledore. James transformed Remus, so quickly and so efficiently, that one minute their friend was standing there, the next, a complete stranger, totally unrecognizable.

"I'll pull it off you at the right moment," James whispered. "When we all become visible to everyone."

Remus nodded, and examined his disguise. He was wearing some nice robes for a change, a deep blue that went nicely with his newly black hair. His wand, still held tightly in his hand, was longer, and a lighter color wood. "Alright, let's go." He spoke to thin air; already the four others were invisible. A voice came to him from his left.

"Just act normal, but not too normal. Make a lot of noise to attract Filch, and say you need to see the Headmaster. We all know he'll take you right there, hoping to get _someone in trouble." This was James, speaking to him from about three feet away, as near as he could guess. His voice was quiet, but urgent. "Here, I'll do something that'll bring him running." He paused a second, apparently thinking. "Close your eyes and cover your ears everyone."_

"BANG!"

An explosion went off five feet above their heads. Even with his eyes closed, Remus could see flashes of silver. Whatever James had done, it had worked. Already, he could hear a set of frantic footsteps running towards them. "What about the students?" He asked quietly. This could all fail if there were students running around the castle.

"I placed Silencing wards around the dormitories."

Remus gaped at him. That should take him thirty minutes at the least to set up wards like that, not thirty seconds. He realized how little he knew about what James could do. He didn't even have all of his power, just a trace of it. Remus cleared his head of the thought; there would be time enough to go into that later, now he needed to be taken to Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's office.

The voice was gone, and Remus knew the others were standing behind him, watching silently, waiting just a few more minutes for the moment they had been waiting for, for fifteen long years.

The footsteps were just around the corner now. Remus took a deep breath. If he messed this up… Well, there would be serious repercussions. 

**Argus Filch**

Argus Filch rounded the corner and stopped. He had been expecting a student. Sure, the Weasley twins were gone, but that didn't mean other students didn't cause trouble ever now and again. Instead, a tall man with black hair and blue eyes was standing underneath the remnants of the magical explosion, wand in hand.

This was strange, very strange, for two reasons. One, the only adults in Hogwarts were the professors, and this wasn't one. Two, it was the _students who were troublemakers, not grown men._

For the first time in recent history, Argus Filch was scared.

How did this man get here? He didn't look like anyone he had seen before. You couldn't Apparate on the Hogwarts grounds, and the only way here besides from Hogsmeade, and you had to have a password to get through the gate, besides that fact that there were more wards on that gate than would be needed to guard a thirty story building. The only way onto the grounds was through the Forbidden Forest, and this man didn't look like he had been sneaking around in the most dangerous wood this side of Europe. 

There were also some secret passages, but no one knew where most of them were.  Even he himself didn't know the whereabouts of all of them. This stranger most certainly would not have known. He didn't look like the kind of man who would break in either, and, despite his obviously expensive robes, didn't appear to be all that powerful.

That this man would be making demands never occurred to Filch.

"Take me to Albus Dumbledore." The man's voice was full of authority, and left no room for argument. Filch missed his eyes twitching to the side, and the slight ripple in the air beside the man. What he didn't miss was the man's wand, held tightly in his hand. He was holding it by his side, in a non-threatening position, but that could change at any moment, and Argus Filch, for all his talk, couldn't do a drop of magic.

Filch hesitated for but a moment. Making a rare split second decision, he nodded and turned back around. He started walking on the route to the Headmaster's office, one he had memorized years ago after making thousands of trips there with troublesome students. Though, he would rather he didn't know it, because that would have meant his job was easy. With students all nice and proper, _polite_. But that was, of course, too much to ask. After all, they were children, aged from ten to eighteen. But he wasn't even allowed to discipline them properly, with whips and chains, because that was _barbaric_, in the words of Minerva McGonagall. Albus Dumbledore had never said so much, but he knew the old man felt the same. He had nearly forgotten about the stranger. He turned his head to see if he was there. 

Indeed he was. Filch twisted his head back around and brushed his stringy hair out of his eyes. He walked up the stairs quietly, leaving dirt on the floor, a crime he frequently punished students for. The strange man followed behind him, silent again.

**Sirius Black**

Sirius watched as Filch led Remus, in his clean new robes, a sharp contrast to the janitor's filthy attire, to the Headmaster's office. He and the others were following close behind, invisible to everyone, including each other. Really, he could only guess that the others were there, but he knew they were. This was incredibly important. To everything.

The invisibility spell Lily had placed on him was amazingly complex. Not only was he invisible, but also if people walked into him, they wouldn't feel it, and would go around him unconsciously. He tried to remember the incantation, if he could learn this, things could only get better. Perhaps, once they had settled to await the next part of the plan, Lily could teach him how to use it successfully.

But right now, he had to watch where he was going, after running into a wall trying to see if he could pick out his friends around him, he realized it would be in his best interests if he looked where he was going. Straining his ears, he could only hear two sets of footsteps. Remus's and Filch's. He couldn't even hear his own.

_Silencing wards._

Sirius grinned. Of course. James would have set Silence on them so no one would hear the footsteps of people who weren't there. It was undeniably handy to have a friend who could read minds. Well that confirmed that they were indeed there with him, albeit invisible and completely silent.

_Of course we are._

Though, it could get slightly annoying, having your best friend making sarcastic comments in your mind that you couldn't block out or ignore. As if he got the hint, there were no more random comments in his head. Sirius could still remember the first time he learned James could read minds, and experienced it. He had thought he had gone crazy. After all, he had only been seven; hearing voices would scare any kid. It had happened when James had gotten lost in a park outside his house.

They never had told anyone exactly how Sirius knew where to find him. It scared both of them. Six-year-old James hadn't even meant to enter his mind, he had just been screaming for help, terrified out of his mind, like any normal six year old would be, yet, he wasn't exactly a normal six year old. They didn't understand it until much later.

But, again, that didn't matter now.

**Remus Lupin**

Remus followed Filch without protest; after all, he was taking him where he wanted to go. Somewhere he wouldn't be able to get into with his help. Sure he knew exactly where it was, all the Marauders did, they had been there enough, but he was pretty sure the password would have changed in the last seventeen years. Of the five of them, he had been at Hogwarts the most recently, but he still missed the familiar walls. He recognized a lot from his many years here.

But something was new.

The portrait of the four of them hadn't been there three years ago when he was a teacher. That was definite. He would have remembered something like that. He stared at it, and felt his chest tighten.

Filch heard Remus's footsteps stop and he turned around to see what was going on. Seeing Remus's eyes on the portrait, he decided to offered an explanation, just incase this man was someone important, perhaps a Ministry Official, they had had a few visit before. But, if he was Ministry, why didn't he recognize him, and why hadn't he identified himself before?

"That's a new addition, just added at the beginning of this year. It's the only picture in this whole school of students. But the Headmaster wanted it. They were _special students." He said this with such contempt that Remus wanted to hit him. Of course, he didn't. He had too much self-control. Sirius or James would have most definitely beaten on the poor man, but even they had enough control not too when they were meant to be invisible, at least, he hoped they did._

"Er, who were they?" If he didn't ask, Filch would become suspicious, and that was the last thing he needed. He gazed at the younger versions of themselves, remembering the day the picture was taken. It had been sixth year, just after the disastrous muggle camp. The four of them had been sitting beneath their tree, planning a prank. It was an excellent photo, he had a copy on his desk.

"They called themselves the Marauders, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter." Filch still wore the look of disgust on his face as he stared at the picture of the four boys. "They caused the most trouble of all the students this school has ever had. The Headmaster's favorites. And now, two of them are dead, one's a traitor, and one's a bloody werewolf." It took every shred of Remus's self control not to pummel Filch, a pummeling he sorely wished to deliver. Again, he remembered this was why _he_ was chosen for this part, not one of the others. Because _he_ wouldn't kill anyone. Which was more than he could say for Sirius or James.

Reluctantly Remus tore his eyes away from the picture and nodded to Filch. "Let's keep going." Filch complied and started walking again. Remus followed him, eyes on the ground. Why had Dumbledore insisted upon that picture being put up? If anything it proved that everything would break with pressure, not exactly the ideal message to pass along to his students at this point in the war. And they would know who the people were, as their names were engraved on a gold plaque below the picture. It read "The Marauders" and below that, "James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew".

Remus had been extremely careful that Dumbledore would not know anything. He had even tested the man with Veritaserum after a recent Order meeting and had wiped the whole incident from his mind immediately after. There was no way he could know. This thought safe in his mind, Remus lifted his eyes to look around once again. Almost there.

**James Potter**

James had also seen the picture. He had stopped and stared at it for long moments, before picking up the trail again, following Sirius, Lily, and Peter, who remained visible to his eyes. Even with his limited power, he still held more than the average wizard. Even here he could feel the pull of his power. It was a constant headache at the back of his mind. He needed to reclaim it, otherwise it would drive him mad. He felt the call of his wand as well, requesting for him to retrieve it, to hold it in his hand again.

Fighting the urge to break away from his friends and submit to the will of his power, he followed them dutifully. He watched them forge on, ignoring familiarities all around them. He too had not been here for many, many years. The picture represented what they had once been, four boys with everything. But now, they were believed to be broken. Just as Remus had moments before, James wondered why Albus Dumbledore would place such a picture in this castle, where the students would need day-to-day reassurance that there was hope. This picture proved the opposite. At least, it _had_ done so, but no longer. They had never _really_ broken, even though they had been miles apart, they were still one.

They always would be.

As they approached the entrance to the Headmaster's office, James came up behind Sirius, Lily, and Peter. They had all halted just behind Remus and Filch, and were staring apprehensively at the place where the staircase would soon be revealed. This was the reason they needed Filch, the password. Other than that, they would be able to get right through. James had considered breaking through the password protections, but this way there was no suspicion before hand, and they could hold all the cards.

"Lemon drops."

James grinned, Albus Dumbledore had always had a strange fascination with the muggle candies. Trust him to use it as a password. It followed the pattern though, for the past twenty-five years the brilliant, if eccentric, man had used candy for passwords. It was quite inspired actually, because who would expect one of the most respected wizards in the entire world to use the names of various _candies for a password? No one, which ensured that they wouldn't be able to guess it, and break in._

The statue rose, and Remus and Filch stepped onto the staircase. Hurriedly, as so not to be left behind, the other four followed. They all crowded onto the steps, extremely close but not touching, as Lily and Sirius had the same spell covering them, which cause people to step around them without even knowing why, much like the giant, purple Knight bus, and James could see the others clear as day.

As the staircase spiraled upwards towards Albus Dumbledore's office, the five former students braced themselves. It was only a matter of time now.

**Argus Filch**

This strange, unknown man had just appeared in Hogwarts, and he already had Filch following his orders. There was something wrong with that. But Argus wasn't too concerned, after all, the man only wanted to see Dumbledore, it wasn't like he had asked to murder all the students. Though, it wasn't like someone would actually ask something like that, they would just do it. And they wouldn't ask to see the Headmaster. It wasn't like they would be able to harm anyone anyway. Despite the fact that he disagreed with Dumbledore on many things, he kept the school safe. It wouldn't fall while he was there, despite the increased killings in the muggle and wizarding world. 

Whatever this man wanted to speak to Albus Dumbledore about, it couldn't be something bad, or dangerous, because no Death Eater would have dressed like that, or asked politely. At least, he hoped they wouldn't, or he was in a lot of trouble. A thought struck him.

"What's your name then?"

"Uh, Jonathan Marshall." Came the hurried reply. Filch looked at the other man curiously, there was something a little off about him, no doubt. But he already knew that, (what sort of normal person appeared in a magical school in the middle of the night?), and he wasn't too worried about it. A lot of people in this world were slightly strange, it went without saying.

"Here we are."

Filch stepped off the stairs and knocked on the large door. Unbeknownst to him, Lily, Peter, Sirius, and James ran up the rest of the staircase and settled behind them just before the stairs began their slow descent down, closing off the entrance to any student sneaking around the school.

**Lily Potter**

Lily had been ready, as soon as the stairs stopped, she bolted up them and onto the landing outside Dumbledore's office. She stopped behind Remus and Filch once again and waited for the door to open. Her red hair rested on her back, settled once again after her run up the stairs. She watched as Filch knocked on the large wooden door, and saw the frightened expression in Remus's newly blue eyes.

She imagined the same expression would be mirrored in her own emerald green eyes, if anyone could see them. She was just as frightened as Remus was, if not more. She knew nothing of what had been happening for the past fifteen years. She didn't even know what her own _son_ looked like. And she wouldn't until the next morning. No, until later this morning, it was past midnight. But a mere few hours wasn't long at all after a decade and a half, she would survive the wait.

First they needed to clear some things up with Dumbledore.

Then she could see her son again, Remus had said he looked a lot like James. But she wouldn't have cared if he looked like a polka-dotted whale. He was her son, and she hadn't seen him for fifteen years. He had had to live with her bitch of a sister, and her husband and bullying toe rag of a son. They would have made his life a misery, though, at least he would have had Hogwarts as an escape for the past six years, and now he could have a proper home, even if only for a little while. A voice from within the office snapped her mind back to here and now.

"Come in."

Filch opened the door and stepped in. Remus followed him, with the other four close behind him. The door swung shut behind them. Lily was wondering exactly where to stand when suddenly she could see the other three. When Filch and Dumbledore didn't comment she realized James must have done something fancy, something she couldn't even begin to understand. She and Peter exchanged glances, Sirius didn't look surprised. But, he always had known James best, better than even her.

_They can't see you. Don't worry about it, I've got it covered. But we need to line up in some sort of order, so he will be able to see all of us right away._

Lily knew exactly what that order should be. She had known for a long time too. There was only one obvious way. Organizing the thought in her mind, she waited, she knew he would see it. He had warned her twenty years ago that if she didn't want him to know it, don't think it around him. Well, this time she wanted him to know.

_Alright, this is what it'll be, where we all stand. Lily thought of it, I'm just following orders._

The three of them snorted. It seemed the Silencing wards had been lifted so they could hear, as well as see, each other. James didn't take orders, he never had. Even as an Auror, he had been famous for making his own rules, and then breaking them along with the Department regulations. But somehow, he got the job done, with almost no casualties on his record, so they had suffered his rebelling quietly, after they had realized it would never change, no matter what they said or did, short of firing him, something they could never do. It would have been one of the stupidest the Ministry had done, and, as everyone knew, they had done some extremely stupid things over the years.

_I heard that. Sirius, go stand on Remus's left side, right beside him. Lily, stand next to Sirius, just behind him, and Peter do the same on Remus's side. I'll stand just in front of Remus and Sirius._

Silently, they complied, and lined up. As soon as they all were in position, the other three blinked out of sight, it appeared James had raised the wards again. Lily examined where she was standing, almost directly behind Filch, to her left were bookshelves, piled high with valuable items. One such thing was a handful of small silver bubbles, that reflected the room void of all it's occupants. Each one was about an inch in diameter, and shined to a sparkle. As already mentioned, they reflected the room in an exact replica, every inch of it displayed around the circle, except without any people, or animals, she noticed that Fawkes was also absent from the mirror image. Beside them, a miniature of the solar system hovered above a silver stand. Each planet was an intricately worked precious stone. It was a beautiful piece of work, something many people would killed to get their hands on. Though, knowing Dumbledore, he would give it away with out a thought.

Earth in particular was particularly well crafted and beautiful. It was a mixture of emeralds, sapphires, and the occasional topaz dotting the emeralds as mountains. It was translucent, with a small ball of light on the inside, making the entire thing sparkle. It was as though there was a tiny sun trapped inside. Lily sighed with repressed longing. All these objects were both beautiful and powerful. She would have loved to examine them. But that too would have to wait.

**James Potter**

James was standing dead center in front of Dumbledore's desk. He could see the old man clearly. To his right stood Filch, as filthy as ever. He too was examining the room, looking at  strange artifacts. He noticed Lily's attention on a pile of silver bubbles and smiled. She had always been fascinated with charms such as the one placed on those bubbles.

His own attention was soon focused on a curious medallion on the Headmaster's desk. It didn't really look like anything special, just beautiful. It had no powers to speak of, but it was a finely crafted piece. It was perfectly round, and made of solid gold, the outer edge was encrusted with small glittering rubies. In the center, a diamond sparkled. It looked like a wheel, with eight spokes going from the diamond at the center, to the outer rim, with open air between them. It also looked strangely familiar. All in all, it was about four inches across in all directions, and could have fit easily in his palm.

"Yes Mr. Filch? What do you need?" Dumbledore's voice was as quiet as usually, if slightly curious. His white hair and beard mingled so that the two were not discernable from each other. Yet, his blue eyes were still full of the same vigor for life that they had held when he was a child.

"This man requested to see you, I found him on the fourth floor, by the painting of Ernham Bucktrop and his thirty wives. I've got to be going now though Headmaster, there is a broken cabinet on the second floor, by the girls' washroom." Filch spoke while backing out the door, Lily stepped aside just in time, Dumbledore would know something was up if Filch moved out of her way, while walking backwards, when there was nothing, that could be seen at least, there. As soon as he had passed, she moved back into position, James watched her with a smile.

The door closed soundlessly behind him and they could hear Filch's descent down the stairs. Just as an extra precaution, James raised a Silencing ward that covered every inch of the wall around the office, and block up all the cracks. He was spreading his power thin now, seeing as he had only a whisper of it remaining with him. He still felt the tug of his power in the Gryffindor dormitories. He also felt remnants spread around the castle, from his previous Silencing wards that day. He opened a hole in the wards against magic in Dumbledore's office and let the power flow into the room and into him. James closed the hole and strengthened them, and the Silencing wards. After all, you could never be too careful.

"Would you like some tea? Coffee?" Dumbledore asked Remus, moving over to pour a cup for himself. James dropped a piece of the ward and nodded, then, he raised them completely once again. Even though he could only see the back of James's head, Remus got his meaning. It was such an amazing display of the power James had. He could manipulate his own spells, as well as anyone else's.

Remus remembered when Lily had told him about James's little display, to show her he wasn't joshing her when they had been lost in a forest with Death Eaters everywhere. She had ended up tied to ground with unnaturally strong grass magicked into advanced growth, with a ring of newly fallen trees and magical blue fire all around her, enough to frighten someone into believing anything you said. Then he had restored everything to what it had been before he had tampered with it. And then he had gone and killed an army of Death Eaters, saving a lot of lives. If that wasn't terrifying, he didn't know what was.

Remus smiled and nodded to the Headmaster, a man who had been so kind to him all his life. First he had allowed him into the school, where others would have turned him away, and then he had given him a job. And all the while he had betrayed his trust in someway or another. When he was a student he had led three students to become illegal animagus and to run around the grounds and Hogsmeade at night, endangering human lives. And as a professor, he had neglected to tell him that Sirius was an animagus, despite the fact that he knew nothing would happen. But he had still with held information. But Dumbledore had learned of both, when he had told him, and had forgiven him. That was something he would never forget. "Tea please, milk and sugar, if you have it?"

"Of course." Dumbledore handed Remus a blue china cup of Earl Gray tea and motioned for a chair. "Wont you sit down?" Remus didn't move, except to put the tea onto a small wooden table over to his right, before moving back to exactly where he had been before, down to the last inch. If Dumbledore noticed, he didn't say anything.

"I'm fine here thank you."

"Alright." Albus Dumbledore settled himself into his brown leather chair behind his des, still covered in priceless artifacts, and looked at Remus over the rim of his moon shaped spectacles. "What exactly do you need?"

And then all the spells dropped.

To Be Continued… 

~

_Four friends who had everything_

_And then they were left with nothing_

_Four brothers who were inseparable_

_And then they were miles apart_

_One bond that was unbreakable_

_And then they were broken._

~


	3. Return of the Lost

**Title:** The Last Stand

**Author:** Seadragon

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Drama

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary: **James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Potter had a plan. A very critical plan. A plan that took three years of planning to perfect. A plan involving extreme sacrifice. A plan full of dangers. A plan that would change the way the war was fought. Forever…

**Author's Note**: I just had a thought that _terrified_ me. And that is saying something. I can't tell you what it was yet, but you will find out soon enough. Also, I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but I felt bad about not updating in forever, so I tried to get it out as soon as possible with out completely screwing it up! Oh, and I've been toying with the idea of having an H/D relationship in the background. It would be very off-to-the-side-ish, just a thing to show how betrayed Harry feels about this. Let me know if you:

a) Love it.

b) Hate it.

c) Would tolerate it.

d) Would just plain want-to-stamp-it-into-the-ground-then-burn-it-so-that-all-that-is-left-of-the-thought-is-a-pile-of-ashes-buried-far-far-far-underground-and-then-you-would-really-go-to-work-on-it.

_That shall be all_,

Seadragon.

~

_Four there once were_

_One by one they fell_

_And now,_

_Four there are once again_

_The last chance for salvation_

_If they fall, so shall we all._

**_Moony. Wormtail. Padfoot. Prongs._**

_The last line of defense_

_"It is the choices we make who shape us for who we really are."___

~

**The Last Stand**

_Seadragon_

**Chapter Three: **_Return of the Lost****_

~

James Potter. All-powerful, or so they had thought. Dead, murdered by Lord Voldemort himself. Killed fifteen years ago. Body recovered. 

Sirius Black. Accused of betraying his best friends. Locked in Azkaban for thirteen years, the only one to ever escape. Killed by his cousin. Fell through the veil.

Remus Lupin. The quiet one, he only one left. Dying of his lycanthropy.

Peter Pettigrew. Believed to be killed by Sirius Black. The _real_ traitor. Sold his friends out to Voldemort. Lived as a rat for thirteen years.

Lily Potter. Killed just after her husband. Body found in her son's bedroom, with her wand.

Yet here they were.

Standing in front of him.

Alive, healthy, and looking very immortal.

At their head was James Potter, dark eyes glinting in the strong candle light he depended on to light his office. His chin was raised in the stubborn gesture. On his face was a defiant look. Albus expected no less from him.

Directly behind him were Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, wearing mirror expressions of James's. The look in Sirius's eyes though was identical to that on his face. It said, _go on_, _ask us how_. And he was going to take him up on that dare, though not quite yet. He was still trying to believe his eyes. Behind them, Lily Potter and Peter Pettigrew. As he saw each of them he believed it less and less.

They all were healthy and very much alive. Even Remus was standing up straighter than usual.

This meant everything had been a lie. Everything that had happened in the past fifteen years was a complete and utter lie, without a shred of truth behind it. This changed everything.

He sat back heavily. He was dimly aware of the teacup he held in his hand crashing to the ground and shattering into thousands of pieces.

For the rest of his life, he would play this moment over and over in his head.

Three of these people were supposed to be _dead_. One was a traitor, another was dying. Things like this weren't supposed to happen.

But, then again, James Potter wasn't supposed to have died either.

**Lily Potter**

Albus looked terrified at first. Then shocked. She watched the precious china slip from his hand and crash to the floor, gravity once again the enemy. Tea slowly spread around the pieces of china, sinking into the floorboards. She could see him trying to figure out what was happening, how it was happening, _why_ it was happening.

They hadn't meant to give him a heart attack. Oh no, completely the opposite. They were here to restore hope. They were here to give everyone the second chance they wouldn't have otherwise. They were here to give back the life people had once had.

He was staring at them as though they weren't human. And, she supposed, in the eyes of the people, they weren't. At least James wasn't. And she couldn't blame anyone for thinking that, it was what she had thought at first. It wasn't hard, such power just _there_, waiting to be used.

The silence spread, even Fawkes was silent, watching James with a curious look in his eye. Again, Lily wondered exactly how aware the phoenix was of the world around him, how much it had changed in the past years. As the bird shook his magnificent red and gold plumage, she was reminded distinctly of Gryffindor, her house and home for so many years. She harbored many fond feelings for the house and its people. 

She didn't know _what_ house her son was in. She just prayed to god it wasn't Slytherin. While she was _much_ more tolerant of the Slytherins than the ever-elusive Marauders, she wasn't exactly fond of them, and never would be, to say otherwise would be an outright lie.

But they were going to be ripping the foundation of his life away, very, very soon. He wouldn't have his wand, he would have considerably less power. He would have parents, and three godfathers.  They were going to change everything, turn everything into a lie. Everything the boy had heard, or had been told, in the past fifteen years, was going to be a complete and total lie.

And now that it came down to it, she didn't know if she could do that to her son.

On the flipside, she didn't know if she could do that to James, without his power, and his wand, he would be ripped to pieces from the inside.

Sirius Black 

Sirius looked slightly to the side at Remus, who smiled faintly before his face returned to stone. Sirius smiled back and lifted his head once again, staring at Albus, much the same as James.

They had always been extremely similar, but they could never be mistaken for the other. James had a powerful aura about him, it eclipsed everything around him. Sirius was content to sink into the background. In a way, he thought, he was a lot like Harry's friend Ron when it came to that. His best friend was famous, he himself was nothing special. He was perfectly happy to be just out of the spotlight, contrary to popular belief.

But he didn't have that choice now. Doubtless, their story would be all over the world as soon as one outside person found out. There would be no shadows for him to hide in then, except for the one Voldemort had cast over the wizarding world. It was a shadow, but not one he would ever dream of joining. 

He had been associated with _him_ for fifteen years now, and that was fifteen years too many. He knew it had been his choice to take that part, but there was no one else who could play it. He knew he could have opted out of the plan, but he couldn't have done that to his friends. He just couldn't. 

They had crafted this plan so lovingly, with such pain-staking care. It had taken them years to work it all out, and when they had, there hadn't been celebrations, but a stunning finality. Now they could embrace the feeling that it really was going to happen, before it had been just a distant dream. To complete it they had poured time, money, power, blood, and love into the final workings.

It had been created with one purpose. To rid them of Voldemort. Much more would be accomplished along the way, but these were just street signs on the road to victory. But the shadow was still there, and there was no way he would ever hide within it.

After all, he hadn't been made a Gryffindor for nothing.

James Potter 

Something was going to happen soon. He could _feel_ it. His power was tugging at him, trying to draw him away, somewhere. Where, he didn't know, it didn't matter really, so he didn't allow it to frighten him. He couldn't allow anything to frighten him anymore.

He had given that up years ago, when he was still a child, long before his time, many would say.

But everything for him had happened well before it should have. He had been told that he would save the world when he was only ten, when Dumbledore had learned of exactly what he was capable of. He had first become a murderer at the age of eleven. And he had done away with fear at the ripe old age of six.

Fear was his enemy, for all it instilled a shred of hope. It was Voldemort's favorite weapon, and had brought down too many people. But he couldn't let it rule him.

He couldn't allow anything to. 

Fear _was_ a weapon. A weapon to be used by whoever could wield it and not break. Voldemort could, the Death Eaters could, and sadly, he himself could. You really had to watch your step around it though. Desperate people did desperate things, and sometimes magic just wasn't enough.

Fear was a controlling emotion, one that you couldn't gauge the depth, or breadth, of. Fear would take over anything you attempted. Fear would influence your decisions. Fear would taint your very soul.

People would do terrible things to escape fear.

But they would also do terrible things to instill fear.

And James Potter wasn't sure what category he fell under.

Harry Potter 

Five adults, all in their mid thirties, were staring defiantly at Dumbledore.

He looked more shocked, and terrified, than Harry had ever seen him in six years. It was a terrifying feeling, to learn that people you thought were untouchable weren't so distanced from humans as you once believed. It displayed human weakness on a stand and broadcasted it to the world when someone like that showed that much emotion, especially one of fear.

Suddenly he was flat on his back with the same five leaning over him, only they were fifteen years younger. The air had a heavy silver hue to it, and it was cool.

Then a flash of green light blinded him, and the woman fell to her knees, and to the floor, a picture of perfect beauty, defeated. The sound of crying reached his ears.

Then he saw one of the men, digging through the ruins of the house, tears silently tainting the ground around him.

And then it was all black. The crying noise escalated, and a scream pierced the still air.

The scream seemed to jolt his vision back to the original picture. Five people, untouchable, undefeatable. One blazed with the same silver light as before, its translucent glow filling the room with him as its center, like the sun.

The power, it was reaching for someone, searching.

And in time, it would find them.

And that was when he was yanked from this dream, if that was what it was. He wasn't so sure anymore, dreams weren't this real, they didn't tug on long forgotten memories. They weren't so lifelike, so rationally fear inspiring.

Above all, they didn't portray three people who had been killed as they would be seen today.

Something was about to happen, and it wasn't going to be good.

Looking at him with concern, were his two best friends. Normally, this would have shocked him, as this was the boys' dormitory, but right now he was a little too freaked out to care.

"What's happening?" He asked numbly, his mind's eye still seeing the five and Dumbledore.

"You were screaming." Ron said simply, Hermione gave him a dirty look.

"I don't think that's what he means. Did you hear it?"

"Hear what?" This was all getting very confusing. He didn't know what she was talking about, he had a headache, and the strangest feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Go to him." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

Ron nodded.

Harry just stared at them. "I didn't hear anything, but I saw- I saw-"

"You saw…?" Hermione urged him on, looking at him with curiosity. He shrunk back a little, she was so fierce, and slightly frightening at times.

"I saw _them_."

**Ron Weasley**

"Who?" Hermione asked, looking somewhat baffled, which was a good change for her. She was too used to knowing everything, every once and a while it would do her good to be confused.

"My- the Marauders. And my mother."

"What do you mean, you saw them?" Hermione asked, exchanging a glance with Ron. Harry caught the look, and would have scowled, if he hadn't been so confused. He settled for trying to answer her question.

"My dream. They were there, in Dumbledore's office. My dad, Sirius, Remus, Peter and my mum. They were all there. But Dumbledore, he looked," Harry paused to search for the right word. "Shocked. I have never, ever seen him like that."

"But, Harry, are you sure it wasn't a dream? I mean, dreams can feel very life like." Hermione suggested tentatively, as though she was scared that Harry would bite her head off, which he would have, if it weren't for this, vision.

"No. It wasn't a dream, I'm sure of it." Harry's voice was heavy. He got to his feet and looked his two best friends in the eye. "You know what we have to do."

"But, we can't Harry! It's the middle of the night! You of all people should know how dangerous it is to go out after curfew!"

Deep down, Ron knew she was right. A curfew had been set after the rise of Voldemort, everyone must be inside a locked area by nine o'clock at night. On every incident where the curfew had been broken, people had died. Even students at Hogwarts were discouraged from leaving their dormitories after the curfew.

It was hard to disregard the rules when doing so caused death.

Just this summer, two fourth years, a Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff, had been killed over the break because they had strayed away from home after curfew. No one was eager to repeat that experience.

But he couldn't agree with Hermione, not now. Harry would never forgive him. With an apologetic look to Hermione, Rom stood up beside Harry. Hermione gave him an angry look, but sighed. It was then they knew they had won her over.

"All right, let's go." Harry said firmly. Hermione went back to her dorm to change after making them promise to do the same and meet her in the common room.

Quickly, they did so, now wearing robes and carrying their wands. Harry also had the Marauders Map and his Invisibility Cloak. They snuck down the stairs quietly, Harry still amazed that no one in their dorm had woken up. Ron explained that Hermione had put a simple sleeping spell on them, so that they wouldn't do just that.

When they got downstairs, Hermione was waiting for them at the portrait hole. She also had her wand.

One they were outside, the Fat Lady had a few words for them. "And what exactly do you three think you are doing? It's well past curfew!"

They ignored her and Harry threw the cloak over the three of them with difficulty and they hurried down the hallways, occasionally checking the Marauders Map. All of them had been too afraid to check Dumbledore's office. Harry's hand was placed conveniently over top of it. Neither of the others bothered to point this out.

As they slowly made their way to the Headmaster's Office, they weren't sure what to expect when they reached it. Either it was all a sick joke, or everything that had happened since that night, October 31st, 1981, was all a lie.

They weren't sure which would be better.

**Peter Pettigrew**

These were quite possibly the most nerve-wracking moments of his life. Even more so than the horrible hours he had spent at Voldemort's side, in fear for his life. Or when, three years ago now, he had had to make Harry think he was the bad guy. Or when, two years ago, he had stabbed the boy, and had done his bit in raising the dark lord.

It was those moments that haunted him. The ones where he could have changed history, and ended it then, but couldn't. The plan had bound him to his actions, and he couldn't have changed them, no matter how much he wanted to. To change the plan would have proved fatal for all of them.

That was why they had spent such a long time working it, going over every possible option. Reassuring each other for those moments in the future, they would have to harm innocents to go on. When they would have to do unsavory things, in the name of salvation.

But these long minutes that stretched on and on were far worse. He hadn't seen these people, his best friends, his family, in fifteen years. And now he was standing behind them, waiting for the headmaster, in this case, their jury, to come to a conclusion.

What he decided could have a huge impact on what happened next. There were two possible paths they could travel down. He could not believe them and they would have to fight behind the scenes, no one knowing they were there. Or he could see the genius behind it, and they could start the revolution.

The ball was in his court now, and they could do nothing until he acknowledged the situation at hand. And if he refused it, things were going to get a lot harder. They would have to disappear once again. He didn't know if they would be able to do that. The loss a great amount of his magic had clearly taken its toll on James.

Someone who didn't know him wouldn't see it, but the four in this room had known it the instant they set eyes on him. He was thinner, hollower, and more distant than ever before. This time apart had changed him, and they didn't know how much. They wouldn't until it began. Then, everything could fall apart, or it could rise higher than before, and the end would finally come.

It came down to a lot of what if's now, and they had to be ready for each and every one of them. There was a long road ahead, with many twists and turns. They would have to stand together to over come them, or they would fall. They would all have choices to make before they could reach the end, some of them harder than others.

He looked around at the four people with him with respect and care. They had all worked so hard to get here, they had sacrificed more than people would know. And now they could get it all back. But nothing would make up for the fifteen lost years.

They were back now, and going to get revenge for what had been taken from them. It really was the Return of the Lost. And they wanted vengeance.

It was hard to be standing here and not be able to reach out for them. Much like those years ago, again in Harry's third year, when they had been right there, and he couldn't speak to them normally, otherwise he would arouse suspicion.

He wanted to ask them how they had been, if any parts of the plan had failed, if they had any fears or doubts about whether or not they could pull it off. He knew he once had such feelings, but now, here in one room with all of them, he felt those doubts fading even as he thought about them. They seemed so silly now, so unimportant.

There wasn't room for doubts. There never had. It was only in his most private thoughts that he had worried, and he knew the others had too. It was only natural of course. Worry and self doubting were some of the most common human emotions. If they weren't worried at all, then they just weren't human. 

Maybe that was why it was James who felt especially distant.

He was right there, except somehow not. Peter suspected it had something to do with his power so stretched out. He had seen what that could do to his friend. It was worse than watching him die.

He would be in such great pain, and there was nothing that could be done until the power returned to him. But this time it wouldn't have to go that far. His power was in this very castle, just waiting to be reunited with him. They were all waiting for that. It seemed like a good goal. It felt as though once they reached it, it had really begun. Once he got his full strength, and his wand, back, things would change. Then he would really be himself, and nothing could stop him, not even Voldemort.

James Potter wasn't supposed to have died.

And they were about to show the world that he hadn't.

They had taken an oath that night, so many years ago. They had sworn upon one sentence, one sentence that had kept them going for fifteen years, never stopping, never giving up. 

Never giving in.

"No matter how many of us fall, we do not stop until it is done."

They hadn't broken it yet and they didn't plan on it. They were going to _make_ it happen. It didn't matter what happened before then. It didn't matter what happened to them , or people around them. It didn't matter if the world collapsed, or the heavens exploded.

Even if it killed them all.

They were going to make it happen.


	4. Power Surge

**Title:** The Last Stand

**Author:** Seadragon

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Drama

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary: **James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Potter had a plan. A very critical plan. A plan that took three years of planning to perfect. A plan involving extreme sacrifice. A plan full of dangers. A plan that would change the way the war was fought. Forever…

__

_Four there once were_

_One by one they fell_

_And now,_

_Four there are once again_

_The last chance for salvation_

_If they fall, so shall we all._

**_Moony. Wormtail. Padfoot. Prongs._**

_The last line of defense_

_"It is the choices we make who shape us for who we really are."_

**The Last Stand**

_Seadragon_

**Chapter Four: **_Power Surge_

**James Potter**

He watched Albus Dumbledore gravely for a moment before a crooked smile took the place of the thin line his mouth had become. It was in this instant that Dumbledore knew for sure that these people were who they appeared to be. The lips parted and Albus waited for the first words this man had spoken to a fellow magic user, other than his Marauders, in fifteen years.

"Hello Albus." The voice was ironic and cool, as though he was merely greeting a colleague he saw everyday of his life, not a friend he hadn't seen in a decade and a half. Albus had to keep from grinning; this was the boy who had nearly destroyed his castle everyday for seven years of his life. He much preferred this James to the one who was hell bent on destroying Voldemort, and taking the world with him, if need be.

When pain flickered in the man's eyes, he had to stop to wonder about its cause. There was very little that could hurt James Potter, so whatever it was, it must be practically catastrophic. It was only when he heard the footsteps on his staircase that he realized several, rather important things. These revelations were confirmed when James twitched ever so slightly, and the door handle rattled for a second. The air pulsed lightly, and the door was flung open, sending three teenagers tumbling to the floor.

The air was slightly stale for a second, and the five vanished from sight, as though they had never been though. Albus felt breath on his ear, and very nearly jumped, which could have given everything away. He sighed, they had been here for no more than ten minutes and already he was going to have to lie for them. At least for a few minutes that is. "Shh…" was all the voice from beside him would say, but it was enough, it wasn't hard to interpret what it, well, he, as it was clearly James, wanted.

The three Gryffindors, back on their feet, glanced around the room, clearly confused. Dumbledore waited for their attention to come to him, and folded his hands in front of him on the desk. "Can I help you Mr. Potter?" He asked kindly, all the while watching the boy slowly gain color, glowing translucent silver. His friends, observant as they were, noticed the steady shine coming from him.

When the raven haired sixteen year old was rubbing his eyes, the Marauders and Lily flickered back into the visible spectrum, and slowly, very slowly, the air began to pulse. James as well was glowing, but the silver was brighter, clearer, and blinding. When the surges became so strong that the room shook with each one, Harry was nearly screaming in pain, whereas James was merely gritting his teeth.

It was time for the natural order of things to be restored, with James on top, as always. There was no room for anyone else, even his own son. Soon it would be as though those fifteen years had never happened.

**Harry Potter**

It felt as though his blood was on fire, his heart in flames. It felt as though he was being ripped apart from the inside, which, essentially, he was. Of course, he was also terrified, confused, and quite possibly about to die, but the pain was first and for most in his mind. He had never experienced pain quite like this before; it was on a whole other level. Worse the drowning, being stabbed, or being cursed, by far, something that probably contributed to this was that he didn't understand _why_ it was happening.

To be more precise, he didn't understand why any of this was happening. Why the Marauders, who were by and large dead, and his mother, also dead, were standing in the same room as him, and not as ghosts. Why Dumbledore was so frightened. Why the air was pulsing, and why it felt like he was dying.

The pieces began clicking together even as the room was plunged into darkness, the candles flickering and dying, even the solar system model going black. It continued on throughout the entire castle, until everything was darker than pitch. But it didn't stop there, within thirty seconds; the entire world was submerged in darkness, electricity and fire alike ceasing to exist for the time being. And in this instance, the silver flowed off of Harry like liquid fire, streaming over to James and filling him completely.

Albus Dumbledore had underestimated the amount of power the leader of the Marauders had temporarily bestowed on his son. And most of it was undetectable and untouchable, for everyone but himself. Only a fraction of it had been for Harry to use, to protect him. When at last the transfer was done, the silver burned off of James, filling a five foot radius from his body in every direction, constantly shifting and growing. It was a fearsome sight, even for his Marauders and Lily who had seen him like this all too often.

The glow of the fire lit up the entire room, filling it to the brim, completely eliminating the darkness that had taken precedent only moments before. Harry, once the magic had ceased to support him, crumpled to the floor. James, who had been a formidable presence in the room even when completely drained, overwhelmed the room, causing it to strain against the cracks. In an incredible demonstration of his true power, James blinked and all his magic was pulled within him, and the silver faded until it was but an outline of his body. The walls relaxed and the air freshened. Another blink and the lights flickered back on with a tremendous power surge, the floors rippled and the castle shook. All over the world power was restored, leaving everyone who was conscious to see the blackout very confused, save a very few people.

These people recognized the blackout for what it was, the return of a very powerful wizard, one who they had all thought dead and gone. These few responded in an invigorating manner, that of cheering and celebrating. Thankfully, the one who it would not benefit them if he knew, remained oblivious. There are several explanations for this, the main one being he was far too busy with other, much more diabolic things to notice such a trivial occurrence as a blackout.

James himself had to keep from laughing in joy, sensing that somehow, it wouldn't be taken quite the way he intended it. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he had just caused his own son to collapse, which is never a good thing to be guilty of.

**Lily Potter**

This was the moment they had been waiting for, for the past fifteen years. The moment when things would be truly the same again. It had come at the expense of her son, but there were no easy choices in war time, and the power was rightful James's. If he hadn't reclaimed it, it would have ripped him apart. And once he was dead, the restraints he had placed around it would vanish, the power subsequently killing Harry as well. All in all, a few moments of pain was a small price to pay for your life.

What she was worried about, however, was how the teenager would react to all this. Teenagers were moody at best, wizards being no exception. She couldn't even imagine having everything you thought you knew turn out to be one giant lie, fabricated by the parents you had never had. These next few weeks were going to be difficult, if not impossible. Not only did they have a war to fight, but the sanity of a teenage boy to consider. Once this got out though, things would start moving rather quickly, whether they liked it or not.

Lily barely even flinched when the tremor of James's power returning rolled through the room, in her time with the Marauders she had learnt to withstand some very strange things, and was rarely shaken when out of the ordinary things happened. She did, however, feel the need to cover her ears when the teenage girl screamed. It wasn't at all surprising that she was shrieking, after all, one of her best friends had just collapsed to the floor in front of her, what _was_ surprising was just how shrill that girl could be.

She watched with little emotion as the girl and the Weasely boy, she knew he just had to be a Weasely, with that red hair there was no way he wasn't, dropped to their knees besides their friend, who was momentarily paralyzed from the shock of having those powers pulled from within him. Slowly, his robes shifted, and a wand, not Harry's, but James's, slipped from the pocket, followed by the Marauders' Map. It was upon seeing the map that this moment felt real, so much was centered around the old piece of parchment. It had been the Marauders' first triumph, a truly formidable one too. Never before had Hogwarts been successfully mapped, and for it to be done by four second years was unbelievable. Especially as only a dozen people even knew it existed, and of the six who knew when it had been made, only five were still alive.

As she remembered this, she felt her heart wrench slightly. Of the six who knew, one was dead. Dead far before her time, dead far before she had ever had a chance to live. It was this that reminded her of why this plan of theirs had come into existence. To save the people, to save the world, which ever, so that no one else would lose a friend, a sibling, a child, or a parent, to Voldemort.

In the past fifteen years, they had been extremely lucky. Voldemort had been hiding, building power, unable to do substantial amounts of harm. But that was about to change. She remembered the years before their 'deaths', how horror filled they had been. People had been dying everyway you turned, to no end. The Aurors were also fading fast, every day another was added to the Wall, where the pictures of Aurors killed in battle hung.

The only comfort she received in remembering the loss of one of their own was in remembering that May's photo hung on the Wall, next to others who had gone before her. In remembering the Wall, and the faces of all the people who were now nothing more than a picture, she also remembered what it was like to know that you were willing to give everything you could possibly give to help others. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time, and was more than ready to feel it again.

She wasn't just a puppet anymore, following the rules, waiting for the right moment. In the moment that James had gotten his magic back, the plan had ended. They were people again, able to make choices and decisions, to fight back. That was what they had been waiting for, for fifteen long years.

**Albus Dumbledore**

Albus watched Lily as she herself watched her son fall to the ground, his friends close behind, only by their own will, not pain. It was remarkable how lifeless she could look. Actually, remarkable isn't the right word, frightening was more to the point. She was watching her son, in obvious pain, collapse, and there wasn't even a hint of emotion to be seen. Not a blink, a flinch, or even the clenching of a fist.

Of course, considering, it was only to be expected. These five had seen more than anyone could know, it was bound to have some interesting repercussions, but that it would change Lily into someone else entirely was unnerving. The Lily he had known all those years ago had been filled with passion and fire, she had worn her emotions on her sleeve, not caring who saw. She had truly had that famous red head fury, which had somehow managed to ignore the entire Weasely family, save the youngest.

Whenever he saw Ginny, who was growing up to be an amazing young woman, he had also really seen Lily. They were so alike in some ways, yet so different in others. Lily had been ambitious to the abandon of all other, and could be entertained for hours with a screaming match between James and herself. Of course, their marriage had ended most of the shrieking, but they still had fought endlessly, just with love, not hatred.

Ginny however, had been shy for a long time, and still wasn't as vibrant as Lily had been. She was also not quite as devious as Lily either, and didn't engage in as many fights with people either. But besides that, the resemblance was uncanny, and he knew it must have hurt Remus and Sirius to no end to see the youngest Weasely. Unfortunately, she, and all the other students at his beloved school, would be hopeless entangled in this war.

They all knew it was only a matter of time before things were like they had been sixteen years ago, especially now that the Marauders were back. Already, two of his students had been killed and, while he wasn't eager to add any more to the list, it was inevitable. At some point, Voldemort was going to come for Hogwarts, once again it was only a question of time.

Until then, they would just have to keep going as they always had, teaching the students, and keeping them safe until they could no longer. They would need everything they learned if they wanted to stay alive in this dangerous place their world had become. He wasn't looking forward to the battles that would come, that was for sure.

Momentarily, he considered sending them all home, but quickly did away with the thought. As aforementioned, the students would need all the knowledge they could get to survive. It was a horrible thing when children had to worry about being to protect themselves if the need should arise. They had been through it once before, and now one had ever thought, even in their darkest nightmares, that that hour should come again.

Unfortunately, you aren't always given a choice.

**Sirius Black**

Sirius bit his lip when Harry hit the ground, unable to hide his distress. He knew it was necessary, had had fifteen years to prepare for it, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He had grown to genuinely like the kid, which wasn't so unusual, he was the spitting image of James, only with Lily's eyes, which he was sure had been drilled into the boy ever since his eleventh birthday.

Fighting the temptation to do just what Ron and Hermione had done, Sirius instead turned to James, who had a some what maniacal grin spreading across his face. Sirius watched the wand and map settle themselves into James's hands, and had to keep from crying tears of joy.

The lying was over, things would get back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be. Of course, they still had to explain things to Dumbledore, which would prove quite difficult in its self, far more difficult then they had imagined it would be. As though Albus had been reading his mind, he stood up, one hand resting on his desk still. Sirius, realizing that the Headmaster wouldn't get on with the formalities until he was certain his student wasn't grievously injured, turned slightly to see Harry with one arm around Ron's shoulders, leaning against the redhead, still gasping for breath.

Allowing himself to breath easy, the corners of his mouth turned up, and he looked back at James, the smile becoming a full fledged grin. He wasn't sure why he was quite so thrilled, it was likely that some of the people sleeping throughout the castle would even make it to the end of the week, let alone the war, once Voldemort knew James was alive and well, and had been for the past fifteen years. It probably had something to do being cooped up, and then on the run from the law for so many years, and then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, being _free_.

Realizing that Harry wouldn't be too thrilled at this turn of events, he once again bit his lip, holding in his laughter. He tried to appear somber, he really did, but it was just so hard. Unbidden, the memory of the day he had fought with Molly Weasely played over in his mind. He remembered her telling him that he saw James, not Harry, whenever he looked at his godson. In a way, it was true. He wanted to see James, so he did, but there was no way he could ever mistake the two. To say otherwise was a dire insult, to both himself and James.

Albus cleared his throat, and they all turned to look at him, even Harry, who, at that moment, probably thought that his headmaster was just as bad as the five of them were. Even now, the elderly wizard commanded respect, standing in a room with some of the most powerful people in the world. There was just something about him, something that drew your eye to him. Sirius had noticed it the first time he had laid eyes on the man, back when he was a rambunctious ten-year-old, hell bent on causing as much trouble as possible. Even then he had respected the man.

All eight of them fell silent, watching, waiting for him to continue, five tense with anxiety, the other three shocked beyond fear, beyond panic.

"I think it is time you explain yourselves."

**Remus Lupin**

Remus had to battle his emotions as well. Except they hadn't been telling him to run to Harry, but to laugh at Dumbledore's foolishness. There could be no explaining this plan, it was too intricate, too involved. The furthest that could be laid out was that they had decided they didn't want to die, at least not yet, and had done something about it.

Perhaps how they had hidden away James's power, what they had done to fool the Aurors, and how on Earth Harry had ended up with James's wand could be explained, but everything else would be lost on anyone who hadn't lived it, no matter what they claimed. They certainly couldn't tell what they had planned next, mainly because that part was fairly obvious. They had mapped out every second up to that of approximately five minutes ago, all they knew about the future now, was that they were going to destroy Voldemort, no matter what it took.

Unfortunately, not everyone on the planet was prepared to go to those extremes. That was where things got tricky. But they would work it out, they always did, without fail. They had gotten this far, hadn't they? He watched with amusement as James smirked slightly, one lip twitching once.

"What else needs to be said Albus?" He asked, spreading his arms as though he was displaying himself and his Marauders. "What else?" Remus could feel Harry's eyes on the back of his head, boring a hole. He ignored it, a slow smile working its way through his lips. This was classic James, he really had a way with words. He could make you feel as though you were the one who had lost it, make you ashamed that you had even opened your mouth, yet at the same time, filled with a sense of security, as though everything was going to work itself out. However, that was rarely the case.

Hearing the wood floor creak, Remus looked over his shoulder at Peter, who was shifting uncomfortably under Hermione's glare, which he knew from experience could be vicious. The smallest Marauder had been silent so far, he had the most to be forgiven for, some of it unforgivable. While he hadn't actually killed anyone, he had managed to avoid that at all costs, he was responsible for the Dark Lord's return to power. Of course, if he hadn't done it, someone else would have, this just brought him closer to Voldemort's inner circle, something that was essential to their plan. However, he wasn't sure the others, namely Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, and the rest of their friends, would see it quite the same way.

Peter, noticing Remus's sympathetic look, attempted a small smile, failing miserably. Apparently he felt the same about Dumbledore's announcement though, as he raised his eyebrows in the old man's direction, eliciting a nod from Remus.

He finally felt connected with his friends again. Once upon a time, they had been inseparable, seemingly unable to function if apart. At some point, that had changed. They didn't like it, they didn't have to, they didn't even have to accept it. Because, they, and no one else, could change it. It may have taken fifteen years, but things were right again now. They were united against a mutual cause. The cause being an evil overlord was just a bonus.

If anyone outside of the other four could read his thoughts, they would have thought him crazy. Of course, that might just be the case, but he wasn't about to confirm it. This was a challenge, they need one. Nothing was worth doing when you could just breeze right through it. Not even James would be able to wipe out Voldemort in one blow. Sure, he was more powerful, there was no doubt there, but the Dark Lord had thousands of very powerful allies, which once again tipped the scales in his direction, as much as they hated to admit it. It would take so much more than just power to conquer this particular enemy.

**James Potter**

He watched Albus Dumbledore's look of confusion change to one of surprise with a smile. Even after all these years, he still loved that he was able to fluster the old man when no one else could, it was a talent he cherished, had always cherished.

"Why so surprised Albus? Did you really think I would change that much in fifteen years? I'm the one who should be surprised, and I am, surprised that you, of all people, didn't see this coming." There was a wry grin on his face, he was clearly more at ease now that he wasn't preoccupied with being reduced to shreds of flesh and bone.

He drew a small, somewhat reluctant smile from the older man with his words. "See _this_ coming?" Dumbledore replied, looking at James over his glasses, his eyes twinkling once again. "I don't think a seer would have been able to see this coming, let alone an old man."

James shrugged, aware of his son's eyes on him. "I suppose that _was_ the point. Anyway, you have no idea how good it is to be back. You're going to have to fill us in on what's happened in the past fifteen years, I'm sure it will be entertaining." Behind him, Harry sputtered with anger, at how glib his father was about showing up fifteen years after his 'death'. Didn't he understand what he'd done? Didn't he care? Apparently not.

"You mean you don't know?" Dumbledore asked innocently, provoking a laugh out of James, and the others, excluding, of course, the three teenagers, two of whom looked about ready to fall over dead from shock, the other just getting angrier but the second.

Turning around to pull Peter forward, James caught sight of Harry, leaning heavily on Ron, and slight look of sympathy clouded his brown eyes. Peter momentarily forgotten, James looked back at Dumbledore. "I do believe I am going to have to borrow my son for an hour or so, he can't go wandering around without a wand at times like these. I'd give him the one I've had for the past fifteen years, but it would be better if he chose his own, or, as Ollie would say, his own chose him."

Dumbledore inclined his head. "But of course, I have a feeling classes are going to be cancelled tomorrow anyways, I think it's time the circle is completed again, don't you? Just make sure you're back before eleven, to give us plenty of time." Harry, Hermione, and Ron, were of course lost as to what Dumbledore was implying, but the other five grinned.

"I'll leave the others with you, just in case, but I think Lily will want to come with me. Can we still trust Ollivander?" This choice of words betrayed what they were all thinking. One wrong move and it could all be over. People would have to be chosen very carefully if any of them wanted to survive to see this war out. The smiles dropped of all their faces when James spoke, remembering what was in store, how hard it would be to readjust with the rest of the world.

Dumbledore sighed. "He is still one of us, a member of the outer circle, but I would be careful where you go just yet. Perhaps disguises would be best for this trip?" He pushed his glasses up his nose with one hand, the other held out in a gesture of concern. James, as much as he hated to admit it, knew the man was right. It would not do to have an entire street think they were hallucinating.

It looked like it was going to be a while before they would be free to be themselves, and even then, caution would be their main priority for a longer than he would like. They had done this so that they would be free to do as they like, to do things there way, they didn't need the fear of publicity to tie them down, not when they had a war to win.

He knew he was being a bit presumptuous, but there was no longer any room for doubt. Doubt could very well be the thing that would bring them down, tear them apart, and put them right back where they started from.


End file.
